Clyde Dosenberry remembers when Pickard Street was devoid of shops, automobile dealerships and coffee houses.

“A lot of the other development was minimum,” said Dosenberry, the 65-year old owner of Doozies Ice Cream Place, 1310 E. Pickard St. “I think there were 10 or 12 restaurants (along Pickard).”

Doozies has continued to cater to students’ and local residents’ ice cream needs since June 1985.

The 23-year-old Mount Pleasant landmark has evolved since it opened its doors. Before holding the name “Doozies” – taken from a nickname Dosenberry has had all his life – it was originally called “Dairy Freeze” and then “Ice Cream Place,” and it had a very different menu.

“When we first opened, we had soft serve and hot dogs,” Dosenberry said. “The first couple of summers, it wasn’t really busy.”

So Dosenberry decided to change his menu to accommodate the needs of the community. Pickard Street already had several restaurants but no places for dessert, Dosenberry said. At this point, he had given up on food and moved to an menu that consisted of only ice cream.

Teaching the business

Dosenberry taught automotive skills at Mount Pleasant High School before owning Doozies. After layoffs started occurring at the school, Dosenberry decided to leave his teaching job and start his own business.

In addition to CMU students, Dosenberry has drawn many members of the community to his establishment.

Shepherd resident Cheryl Kalmer said she has been a Doozies customer since the mid-’90s.

“They have a lot of different choices on the menu,” she said. “It always amazes me how many people (there) are.”

Each summer Doozies employs between 25 and 28 employees, most of whom are students in high school or college.

Lorilea Wu has been working at Doozies for more than six years and said she enjoys being around her coworkers and customers.

“You always see someone you know,” the Mount Pleasant senior said.

Liz Szymanski, a recent graduate of Sacred Heart Academy High School, has been working at Doozies for three years.

“I love working here,” she said.

Her favorite treat from Doozies is the banana split, and she said she isn’t afraid to eat one if it is ordered but accidentally made incorrectly.

Dosenberry said his business is successful in part because of the wide array of selections on his menu. With more than 60 different types of Arctic Swirls, similar to a Dairy Queen Blizzard, and skinny-dip and Dole-whip ice cream – sugar-free and lactose-free, respectively – Doozies has options for everyone, he said.

“None of (the other ice cream shops) have skinny-dip and Dole-whip,” Dosenberry said.

Kalmer said she recently has had cravings for specific sweets, and went to Doozies on Saturday to satisfy her sweet tooth.

“Right now, it’s a smoothie. It used to be a sundae,” she said of her cravings. “I’m always looking for smoothies.”

She ordered one and sipped on it at the picnic tables outside Doozies.

“I like that,” she said as she took the first sip of the smoothie. “It’s perfect.”

‘In pretty good shape’

Some people do not limit themselves to a daily visit. Dosenberry can remember customers ordering ice cream more than once a day.

“They’ll come at one o’clock and get a cone, and then they’ll come back in the evening with their family,” he said.

Other local businesses, such as the Embers Restaurant, formerly at 1310 S. Mission Rd., and J.W. Filmore’s, formerly at 903 N. Mission St., have closed due to tough economic conditions. Dosenberry thinks his business won’t suffer the same fate.

He attributes his success to his personal involvement with customers and business.

“Part of it is me being here a lot,” he said. “People like to see the owner.”

While Dosenberry isn’t quite sure of the future of Doozies, he will continue to manage the shop until his health prevents him from doing so. In the meantime, he will continue to enjoy serving his customers their favorite frozen treats from April to October.

“I’d like to see the local business owners survive,” he said. “I still think we’re in pretty good shape.”

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